Sunbury staff told the Services Committee Oct. 1 that the city submitted a rural and tribal grant application seeking approximately $1.5 million to modernize traffic signals, add fiber connections, enable emergency‑vehicle preemption and allow remote signal adjustments.

The grant round was described by staff as unusual because it is first‑come, first‑served; staff said Public Works colleague Mister Blinkenship “got the application in within 4 minutes and 30 seconds.” The application would fund fiber improvements to link signals for coordinated timing and real‑time control via a mobile device, and staff said the program could also support push‑button pedestrian improvements on the square.

Staff described potential benefits as reducing the number of drivers who feel they hit every red light, improving emergency‑response preemption and enabling centralized timing adjustments. The committee was told the application window remains open for several weeks and staff expected notification by the end of the year, though no firm award date was known.

No funding decision was required at the meeting; staff will report back if the grant is awarded and, if successful, will return with a proposed implementation plan that could include fiber installation and signal controller upgrades.